Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1928
Pittsburgh-area fish fries: Where to get your fix all Lent long
Ash Wednesday is upon us. It’s the start of Lent, marking the 40 days of penance and fasting until the celebration of Easter. Lent is also a time when churches, fire departments and civic associations open their doors and serve up hot, crispy fries, flaky fish and other assorted tasty...
Victim identified in fatal South Huntingdon crash
A Hempfield woman died early Monday after the car she was riding in crashed in South Huntingdon Township, according to the Westmoreland Coroner’s office. Sarah E. McDonald, 25, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said she was a rear seat passenger in a Nissan Altima traveling just before 2...
Sunday’s snow gives way to frigid temperatures for much of the week
A winter storm that coated much of the region with between 1 and 3 inches of snow Sunday will give way to bitter cold temperatures lasting through mid-week. The overnight temperature dipped to a low around 17 degrees with scattered flurries, according to the National Weather Service. Monday’s temperature will...
Winchester Thurston grads test science project in Uganda to combat dehydration
Two college students from Pittsburgh want to use a 3D-printed tube to help save lives. Their invention is meant to help combat diarrhea caused by disease that can leave children dangerously dehydrated. Jack Waters and Jacob Dubner created their device, called the ORTube, as part of a science class at...
Pittsburgh Public Schools eases consequences for students caught with pot
Pittsburgh Public Schools students caught with small amounts of marijuana will no longer face an immediate suspension or risk being removed from their schools for six weeks or more. Starting this month, first-time offenders in possession of less than 5 grams of marijuana will have the option of a five-day...
Cicadas will swarm Southwestern Pa. this spring
The swarm is coming. A massive brood of cicadas is expected to emerge from the ground this spring after its 17-year infancy, and Southwestern Pennsylvania will be right in the center of it. “In some areas, you can get as many as a million and a half individuals per acre,...
17-year cicadas are coming already? Here’s why
If cicadas emerge from the ground only once every 17 years, why do they seem to show up so often? There are actually 15 separate broods of cicadas in the United States — five of which include Pennsylvania as part of their territory. Related story: Cicadas will swarm Southwestern Pa....
Former Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper joins presidential race
DENVER — Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said on Monday he’s running for president, casting himself as a can-do uniter who’s used to overcoming adversity and accomplishing liberal goals in a politically divided state. “I’m running for president because we need dreamers in Washington, but we also need to get...
PennDOT approves more turning restrictions near new Oakmont Bakery
PennDOT has approved more turning restrictions at a busy Oakmont intersection that the borough’s mayor said was a problem before the popular Oakmont Bakery opened a new location there and compounded traffic headaches. Westbound motorists on Hulton Road who are headed toward Hulton Bridge will be prohibited from turning left...
Pa. lottery: On pace for record, officials work to keep games updated
On pace to collect a record number of sales for the second consecutive year, Pennsylvania Lottery officials are pondering if the games can keep topping themselves. “We have been growing for decades, some years more than others,” said Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. “When the recession hit our sales and...
John Bolton claims North Korea summit was not a failure
National security adviser John Bolton on Sunday defended President Trump’s second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying the president was right not to make a deal that wasn’t in the best interests of the United States. “I don’t agree at all that it was a failed summit,”...
Snow causes a rash of mostly minor accidents across the region
The winter storm that swept across large portions of the country wasn’t as bad locally as was feared, but it was enough to make roads slippery Sunday evening and contributed to several crashes across the region: • Route 28 southbound at the Route 8 off-ramp in Etna was closed because...
Cheap prices will be the latest casualty of the trucker shortage
America’s trucker shortage is about to hit consumers right where it hurts: in the kitty litter. McDonald’s long-time distributor Martin-Brower Co. is raising delivery fees, imperiling low menu prices, and Procter & Gamble Co., Church & Dwight Co. and Hasbro Inc. are sounding the alarm that higher freight fees could...
Crash injures man, shuts down part of Second Avenue in Pittsburgh
A man was taken to a Pittsburgh area hospital in critical condition following a crash along Second Avenue in the city Sunday evening. Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Alicia George said police, firefighters and EMS were dispatched to the 700 block of Second Avenue around 4:40 p.m. for a vehicle into...
Ukrainian Easter eggs teach heritage along with craft
People eager to learn the art of creating Ukrainian Pysanky/Easter Eggs took to a workshop in Ross Community Center put on by St. Peter and St. Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Church member and instructor, Michael Kapeluck, 55, who’s parents hail from Western Ukraine, has been painting Pysanky Eggs since the...
Big Blitz looks to take its ‘noise jazz’ and Burrell High School roots on the roadVideo
They play “noise jazz.” That’s how Big Blitz members Nick Grabigel, 17, and brothers Lucas, 18, and Mason Ciesielski, 16, describe their original jazz/rock/dance music. The teens hail from Lower Burrell and formed Big Blitz in 2017, after meeting in middle school and later performing together at a high school...
Gun enthusiasts lukewarm on proposed background check legislation
Gun enthusiasts didn’t seem fazed by the gun control legislation being considered in Congress during a gun show Sunday at the Pittsburgh Mills. The gun show was one of several held each year by the Pennsylvania Gun Collectors Association, which draw dozens of gun sellers, buyers and collectors. Sunday’s event...
Ivanka Trump jokes being president’s daughter is ‘hardest job in the world’
Ivanka Trump tried to bring some humor to being the president’s daughter, joking it’s the “hardest job in the world.” She spoke at the 134th annual Gridiron Club and Foundation dinner in Washington D.C., the white-tie, get-together of journalists, media members, officials and politicians, on Saturday night. President Trump, who...
Invectives old and new fill Trump’s marathon speech at CPACVideo
OXON HILL, Md. — In a slashing speech packed with braggadocio and grievance, President Donald Trump denounced Democrats as the party of “the socialist nightmare,” relitigated his crowd sizes back to the inauguration and took on “sick,” ”lunatic” and “dirty” foes at every turn, earning him the unvarnished adoration of...
Injuries reported in multi-vehicle crash in Manor Township
Emergency responders are on the scene of a multi-vehicle crash in Manor Township. An Armstrong 911 dispatcher said the crash happened around 12:40 p.m. in the area of Route 66 and Fairground Road. The dispatcher said there is a report of injuries. No other information was immediately available....
Milestone: Capsule with dummy aboard docks at space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A sleek new American-built capsule with just a test dummy aboard docked smoothly with the International Space Station on Sunday in a big step toward putting the U.S. back in the business of launching astronauts. The white, bullet-shaped Dragon capsule, developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company...
‘SNL’ parodies the Cohen hearings, with help from Ben Stiller and Bill HaderVideo
Actors Bill Hader and Ben Stiller made guest appearances on “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend, parodying Michael Cohen’s seven-hour testimony on Capitol Hill, which consumed the attention of Washington and the media. The cast started the show with a re-enactment of Cohen’s opening statement Wednesday to the House Oversight...
Rescuing Pa. nuclear power plants could come with conditions
HARRISBURG, Pa. — With nuclear power plant owners seeking a rescue in Pennsylvania, a number of state lawmakers are signaling that they are willing to help — with conditions. Giving nuclear power plants what opponents call a bailout to ensure they stay open could mean a politically risky vote to...
Trump likes ‘actings,’ experts say permanent staff is better
WASHINGTON — Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has been to Europe, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Mexican border as part of his bid to land the job permanently. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was one of just two top advisers to join President Donald Trump for dinner with...
Vehicle hits Springdale veterinary hospital
A pick-up truck crashed into the River Valley Veterinary Hospital at 1046 Pittsburgh St., Springdale, on Saturday night. The crash destroyed the front doors of the business but, according to social media reports, no animals are housed in the hospital overnight. Springdale Police Chief George Polnar could not be reached...
